Title of Book: To be a SlaveAuthor: Julius Lester

Name: Hunter Dusek

Class Period: 6th

Context CluesWord Sentence Correct

Dictionary Definition

Chattel pg.32 When you finish a days work, get money for it and never take provisions or chattel.

A movable article of personal property.

Coffle pg.46 The slave trader would come to a town with his slaves chained together into what was called a slave coffle.

A line of animals, prisoners, or slaves chained and driven along together.

Synonymous pg.48

An auction was synonymous with the breaking up of families.

Having the character of synonyms

Beaus pg.51 When the girls in the big house had beaus coming to see them, they’d ask, “Who is that pretty gal?”

A frequent and attentive male companion.

Broiled pg.53 The cart had no covering, and they seemed to have been broiled to sleep.

To be subjected to great heat.

Text Purpose

• I thank the author did this to inform us about slavery and how HORRIBLE it was back then so we would hopefully never repeat ourselves. The intended audience is kids.

Text Structure

• It’s in third-person objective for the italics and is first person for the real story. It helps me know how the slaves felt in all the senses.

Text Representation

Treated betterSlept inside houseLess whipsSaw owner more

•Treated worse•Slept outside in slave quarters•More whips•Less contact with owner

House ServantPlantation Slave

Slave worked hard

Author’s Perspective/Point of View

Subject Author’s Feelings

Text Evidence

To be a slave in the U.S. during slavery.

He doesn’t like what was done to slaves back then.

Pg.62 The house of the slaves were generally more fit for animals than for human beings.

Main Idea

Paragraphs Main Idea

Beginning-Page #90 How it’s better to be a house servant.

Middle-Page #72 How many whippings you get.

End-Page #103 When to go to religious meetings

Supporting Details

Details Page # Comments

How the plantation supposedly looked.

59 She describes how the mansion looked.

Saying how they lived in inhumanity.

111 We might not thank it was so bad.

Saying that hearing the horn is a good thing.

75 It wouldn’t have told us how bad their lives were.

Draw Inferences

What the Book Says Conclusions Drawn

Situation: Two slaves are going to be sold. Pg.92-93

Character Actions: They run away and never caught.

They preferred whatever happened then to get sold.

Situation: A women encounters a runaway slave and lets her stay with her. Pg.119

Character Feelings: The slave feels scared that the owners of the runaway are going to check her cabin and find her.

She feels sorry for her and is going to help her get away.

Compare-Contrast

Title: Auction Block

1.Whites and blacks sold

2.Slave and his brother watching

3.With master

4.Scared for the little white boy

5.Owner told them it was time to go

Title: To be a slave

1.Only blacks were sold

2.On the auction block

3.Being sold

4.Scared of what will happen to them

5.Was finally sold.

Both:

1.Scared

2.Sad

3.Blacks weren’t sold for much

4.Told from slaves point of view

5.Fear of what will happen

Facts

Facts Page # Comments

Slaves sang and danced at parties.

107 I think he did this to show that slaves weren’t totally enslaved.

The Kuk Klux Klan would kill blacks that made good money.

148 To show that even after slavery life was still hard for them.

Blacks would go join the Union army.

130 To show that slaves wanted to be free and they would help others.

Some slaves killed their owners in self defense.

128 To show that they must have really been hurt to go to such measures.

Some owners were good to their slaves.

31-32 To show that sometimes there was goodness.

Opinions

Opinions Page # Comments

The slaves did the opposite of what they were told.

102 To show they made their own decisions.

That to deal with a suspected insurrection is to instruct more pain.

Top of 119 To show the slave owners cruelty.

Saying slavery was summed up in one sentence

Bot. of 37-38 To say that was what slavery was all about.

Saying a plantation doesn’t look like that.

59 To show that most weren’t like that.

Saying slaves “lived for Christmas”

110 To show that was what they looked forward to all year.

Reading Response

• #128: Slaves attacked their owners- I can relate to that because I would do that in self defense too.

• #148: K.K.K. kills blacks- I dislike this because why would you do that?!?!

• #110: Slaves lived for Christmas- I feel sad that slaves wanted one week of the of the whole year to come that badly and it makes me wonder, how bad were slaves were really treated.